There is an increasing demand in the cosmetics industry to develop products that may be applied topically to the skin that improve the condition and appearance of skin. Consumers are interested in mitigating or delaying the dermatological signs of chronologically- or hormonally-aged skin, as well as skin aging due to the environmental stress, such as fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin and other conditions due to a progressive loss of cell growth, proliferation and functionality in the epidermal and dermal skin layers. During the aging process, the complexion of the skin, i.e., the color and appearance of the skin, deteriorates slowly from aging and/or exposure to environmental stress, e.g., sunlight. Numerous cosmetic and medical treatments have been developed in an attempt to treat environmentally damaged, aging or aged skin. However, such cosmetics or treatments commonly contain organic acids as their active ingredients or components, and are frequently associated with consumer discomfort, such as burning, itching, and redness.
Therefore, there remains a general need in the cosmetics industry for products that retard or counter the aging effects on the skin, and more specifically for products that produce such effects without undesirable side effects. In particular, there remains a need for topically applied cosmetic compositions that have anti-aging and skin texture benefits using natural plant materials as active components.
Active ingredients or components derived from plants and plant seeds have commonly been employed for a myriad of medicinal, therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. Such actives may be obtained from the entire plant or various parts of a plant, such as seeds, needles, leaves, roots, bark, cones, stems, rhizomes, callus cells, protoplasts, organs and organ systems, and meristems. Active ingredients or components are incorporated in compositions in a variety of forms. Such forms include a pure or semi-pure component, a solid or liquid extract or derivative, or a solid natural plant material. Plant material may be incorporated in a variety of subforms such as whole, minced, ground or crushed, or otherwise physically modified for incorporation into a composition.
Tiliacora triandra Diels of the Tiliacora family, also known as Yanang, is a species of flowering plant native to mainland Southeast Asia and used particularly in the cuisines of northeast Thailand and Laos. It is a climbing plant with mostly single, smooth, oval-shaped, deep green leaves and yellowish flowers. In traditional Southeast Asian medicine, Tiliacora triandra has been used as an herbal medicine for fever relief, alcohol intoxication, inflammation, and bacterial/fungal infection. For instance, the use of Tiliacora triandra Diels against plasmodium falciparum (cause malaria in humans) is disclosed in Pavanand et al., Phytother. Res., 3, 215-217 (1989).
Safe, effective and new components of compositions to treat, prevent, reduce, inhibit and/or improve the dermatological signs of aging, including environmental stress, due to a progressive degradation of the epidermal and dermal skin layers, would be advantageous for the formulation of treatments and products for the skin. As described herein, novel and beneficial methods and compositions, as well as their mode of action, for the treatment of wrinkles and the like, as well as for personal care products for the skin, are provided herein.